System and method for managing faults in integrated circuits

ABSTRACT

An integrated circuit includes a functional circuit, a detection circuit, a processing circuit, and a recovery circuit. The detection circuit detects a fault in the functional circuit and generates a fault indication indicative of the detected fault. The processing circuit receives the fault indication and identifies a functional domain identifier (ID) associated with the fault. Based on the fault indication, the processing circuit generates context tag data that is indicative of a type of the fault and an operational state of the functional circuit when the fault is detected therein. Further, the processing circuit assigns a priority level to the fault based on the context tag data and the functional domain ID. The recovery circuit performs, based on the functional domain ID, the context tag data, and the first priority level, a recovery operation to recover the functional circuit from the fault.

FIELD OF USE

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic circuits, and,more particularly, to a system and a method for managing faults inintegrated circuits.

BACKGROUND

An integrated circuit (IC) includes various functional circuits (e.g.,math accelerators, digital signal processors, or the like) that performvarious operations with each other or with a system memory of the IC.Such operations are critical for the accurate functionality of the IC.However, the functional circuits experience various faults whileperforming the operations. Such faults may cause an operational failureof the IC.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure will be better understood when read in conjunction with theappended drawings. The present disclosure is illustrated by way ofexample, and not limited by the accompanying figures, in which likereferences indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an integrated circuit(IC) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a fault managementsystem of the IC of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a first storage element of thefault management system of FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second storage element ofthe fault management system of FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a third storage element of thefault management system of FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure; and

FIGS. 6A-6D, collectively, represents a flowchart that illustrates afault management method in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description of the appended drawings is intended as adescription of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and is notintended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure maybe practiced. It is to be understood that the same or equivalentfunctions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intendedto be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an integrated circuit (IC)is disclosed. The IC may include a first functional circuit and a firstdetection circuit that may be coupled to the first functional circuit.The first detection circuit may be configured to detect a first fault inthe first functional circuit and generate a first fault indication thatis indicative of the detected first fault. The IC may further include afirst processing circuit that may be coupled to the first detectioncircuit. The first processing circuit may be configured to receive thefirst fault indication from the first detection circuit. Based on thefirst fault indication, the first processing circuit may be furtherconfigured to identify a first functional domain identifier (ID)associated with the first fault. The first functional domain ID isindicative of the first functional circuit in which the first fault isdetected. Further, the first processing circuit may be configured togenerate, based on the first fault indication, first context tag dataassociated with the first fault. The first context tag data isindicative of a type of the first fault and an operational state of thefirst functional circuit when the first fault is detected in the firstfunctional circuit. The first processing circuit may be furtherconfigured to assign a first priority level to the first fault based onthe first functional domain ID and the first context tag data. The firstfunctional circuit may be recovered from the first fault based on thefirst functional domain ID, the first context tag data, and the firstpriority level.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a fault managementmethod is disclosed. The fault management method may include detecting afirst fault in a first functional circuit by a first detection circuit.The fault management method may further include generating a first faultindication by the first detection circuit. The first fault indication isindicative of the detected first fault. Further, the fault managementmethod may include receiving the first fault indication from the firstdetection circuit by a first processing circuit. The fault managementmethod may further include identifying, based on the first faultindication, a first functional domain ID associated with the first faultand generating, based on the first fault indication, first context tagdata associated with the first fault by the first processing circuit.The first functional domain ID is indicative of the first functionalcircuit in which the first fault is detected. The first context tag datais indicative of a type of the first fault and an operational state ofthe first functional circuit when the first fault is detected in thefirst functional circuit. The fault management method may furtherinclude assigning a first priority level to the first fault by the firstprocessing circuit based on the first context tag data and the firstfunctional domain ID. The first functional circuit may be recovered fromthe first fault based on the first functional domain ID, the firstcontext tag data, and the first priority level.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a first storage element.The first storage element may be configured to store a mapping between aplurality of predefined domain IDs, a first predefined context data set,and a first plurality of policies that is associated with the firstprocessing circuit. The first plurality of policies enablesdetermination of a degree of severity of the first fault at the firstprocessing circuit.

In some embodiments, the first processing circuit may be further coupledto the first storage element. The first processing circuit may befurther configured to compare the first functional domain ID with eachpredefined domain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs.Similarly, the first processing circuit may be configured to compare thefirst context tag data with each predefined context data of the firstpredefined context data set. Further, the first processing circuit maybe configured to select, from the first plurality of policies, a firstset of policies that is associated with the first functional domain IDand the first context tag data. The first processing circuit selects thefirst set of policies based on the comparison of the first functionaldomain ID with each predefined domain ID of the plurality of predefineddomain IDs and the comparison of the first context tag data with eachpredefined context data of the first predefined context data set. Theselected first set of policies is indicative of the degree of severityof the first fault as determined at the first processing circuit. Thefirst processing circuit assigns the first priority level to the firstfault based on the first set of policies.

In some embodiments, the first functional circuit may be configured toperform a first functional operation. The first fault is detected in thefirst functional circuit while the first functional operation is beingperformed by the first functional circuit. The first functional domainID is further indicative of the first functional operation beingperformed by the first functional circuit when the first fault isdetected in the first functional circuit.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a set of connectionlines that couples the first detection circuit and the first processingcircuit. Based on the detected first fault and the first functionaloperation being performed by the first functional circuit when the firstfault is detected therein, the first detection circuit may be furtherconfigured to select a connection line from the set of connection linesand provide the first fault indication to the first processing circuitby way of the selected connection line. A connection line ID of theselected connection line represents the first functional domain IDassociated with the first fault.

In some embodiments, to generate the first context tag data, the firstprocessing circuit may be further configured to monitor the firstfunctional circuit, and record, when the first fault indication isreceived, the type of the first fault and the operational state of thefirst functional circuit.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a counter that iscoupled to the first processing circuit. The counter may be configuredto generate a count that is incremented when the first fault indicationis received by the first processing circuit. Further, the firstprocessing circuit assigns the first priority level to the first faultbased on the count. When the count has a first value, the first prioritylevel assigned to the first fault is greater than that assigned when thecount has a second value that is less than the first value.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a second functionalcircuit. A second fault is detected in the second functional circuit.The IC may further include a recovery circuit that may be coupled to thefirst processing circuit. The recovery circuit may be configured toreceive the first functional domain ID, the first context tag data, andthe first priority level from the first processing circuit. The recoverycircuit may further receive a second functional domain ID, secondcontext tag data, and a second priority level associated with the secondfault. The second functional domain ID is indicative of the secondfunctional circuit in which the second fault is detected. Further, thesecond context tag data is indicative of a type of the second fault andan operational state of the second functional circuit when the secondfault is detected in the second functional circuit. The second prioritylevel is assigned to the second fault based on the second functionaldomain ID and the second context tag data. Based on the first functionaldomain ID and the first context tag data, the recovery circuit may befurther configured to generate third context tag data associated withthe first fault to facilitate recovery of the first functional circuitfrom the first fault. Similarly, based on the second functional domainID and the second context tag data, the recovery circuit may be furtherconfigured to generate fourth context tag data associated with thesecond fault to facilitate recovery of the second functional circuitfrom the second fault. The third context tag data is indicative of thetype of the first fault, the operational state of the first functionalcircuit when the first fault is detected in the first functionalcircuit, and a type of the first functional circuit. Further, the fourthcontext tag data is indicative of the type of the second fault, theoperational state of the second functional circuit when the second faultis detected in the second functional circuit, and a type of the secondfunctional circuit.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a second detectioncircuit that may be coupled to the second functional circuit. The seconddetection circuit may be configured to detect the second fault in thesecond functional circuit and generate a second fault indication that isindicative of the detected second fault. The IC may further include asecond processing circuit that may be coupled to the second detectioncircuit. The second processing circuit may be configured to receive thesecond fault indication from the second detection circuit and identify,based on the second fault indication, the second functional domain IDassociated with the second fault. The second processing circuit may befurther configured to generate, based on the second fault indication,the second context tag data associated with the second fault. Based onthe second functional domain ID and the second context tag data, thesecond processing circuit may be further configured to assign the secondpriority level to the second fault.

In some embodiments, the recovery circuit may be configured to assign athird priority level to the first fault based on the third context tagdata, the first functional domain ID, and the first priority level.Similarly, the recovery circuit may be further configured to assign afourth priority level to the second fault based on the fourth contexttag data, the second functional domain ID, and the second prioritylevel. The recovery circuit may be further configured to determine afirst recovery operation for the first fault and a second recoveryoperation for the second fault. The first recovery operation may bedetermined based on the third context tag data and the first functionaldomain ID. Similarly, the second recovery operation may be determinedbased on the fourth context tag data and the second functional domainID. The recovery circuit may be configured to perform, based on thethird priority level and the fourth priority level, the first recoveryoperation and the second recovery operation to recover the firstfunctional circuit and the second functional circuit from the firstfault and the second fault, respectively.

In some embodiments, the third priority level is one of a groupconsisting of (i) same as the first priority level and (ii) differentfrom the first priority level. Further, the fourth priority level is oneof a group consisting of (i) same as the second priority level and (ii)different from the second priority level.

In some embodiments, when the third priority level is greater than thefourth priority level, the first recovery operation is performed beforethe second recovery operation. Further, when the third priority level isless than the fourth priority level, the second recovery operation isperformed before the first recovery operation.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a second storageelement. The second storage element may be configured to store a mappingbetween a plurality of predefined domain IDs, a second predefinedcontext data set, and a second plurality of policies that is associatedwith the recovery circuit. The second plurality of policies enablesdetermination of the first recovery operation for the first fault, thesecond recovery operation for the second fault, a degree of severity ofthe first fault, and a degree of severity of the second fault at therecovery circuit.

In some embodiments, the recovery circuit may be coupled to the secondstorage element. The recovery circuit may be further configured tocompare the first functional domain ID with each predefined domain ID ofthe plurality of predefined domain IDs. Similarly, the recovery circuitmay be configured to compare the third context tag data with eachpredefined context data of the second predefined context data set.Further, the recovery circuit may be configured to select, from thesecond plurality of policies, a second set of policies that isassociated with the first functional domain ID and the third context tagdata. The recovery circuit selects the second set of policies based onthe comparison of the first functional domain ID with each predefineddomain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs and the comparisonof the third context tag data with each predefined context data of thesecond predefined context data set. The second set of policies isindicative of the first recovery operation for the first fault and thedegree of severity of the first fault as determined at the recoverycircuit. The recovery circuit assigns the third priority level to thefirst fault based on the second set of policies and the first prioritylevel.

In some embodiments, the recovery circuit may be coupled to the secondstorage element. The recovery circuit may be configured to compare thesecond functional domain ID with each predefined domain ID of theplurality of predefined domain IDs and the fourth context tag data witheach predefined context data of the second predefined context data set.Further, the recovery circuit may be configured to select, from thesecond plurality of policies, a third set of policies that is associatedwith the second functional domain ID and the fourth context tag data.The recovery circuit selects the third set of policies based on thecomparison of the second functional domain ID with each predefineddomain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs and the comparisonof the fourth context tag data with each predefined context data of thesecond predefined context data set. The third set of policies isindicative of the second recovery operation for the second fault and thedegree of severity of the second fault as determined at the recoverycircuit. The recovery circuit assigns the fourth priority level to thesecond fault based on the third set of policies and the second prioritylevel.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a diagnostic circuitthat may be coupled to the first processing circuit and the recoverycircuit. The diagnostic circuit may be configured to receive the firstcontext tag data and first status data, and facilitate diagnosis of thefirst fault after the first functional circuit is recovered from thefirst fault. The recovery circuit may be further configured to generatethe first status data based on the first recovery operation that isperformed to recover the first functional circuit from the first fault.

In some embodiments, the IC may further include a diagnostic circuitthat may be coupled to the recovery circuit. The diagnostic circuit maybe configured to receive the second context tag data and second statusdata, and facilitate diagnosis of the second fault after the secondfunctional circuit is recovered from the second fault. The recoverycircuit may be further configured to generate the second status databased on the second recovery operation that is performed to recover thesecond functional circuit from the second fault.

To accurately determine a recovery operation for recovering a functionalcircuit from a fault, information associated with the fault (such as atype of the fault, a type of the functional circuit in which the faultis detected, or the like) is required. Conventionally, upon detectingthe fault, fault management systems are required to access a domainassociated with the functional circuit to retrieve the requisiteinformation associated with the fault. Such accesses performed for eachfault degrade the availability and increase the latency of such faultmanagement systems. Further, as the information associated with thefault is retrieved from a faulty domain, the reliability of the faultmanagement systems degrades.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an IC includingvarious functional circuits and a fault management system coupled to thefunctional circuit. The fault management system may include a detectioncircuit, a processing circuit, and a recovery circuit. The detectioncircuit may detect a fault in a functional circuit and generate a faultindication that is indicative of the detected fault. The processingcircuit may identify, based on the fault indication, a functional domainidentifier (ID) associated with the fault. Further, based on the faultindication, the processing circuit may generate context tag data that isindicative of a type of the fault and an operational state of thefunctional circuit when the fault is detected in the functional circuit.The processing circuit may assign a priority level to the fault based onthe functional domain ID and the context tag data. The processingcircuit may further generate reporting data associated with the fault.The reporting data may include the context tag data, the assignedpriority level, and the functional domain ID.

The recovery circuit may generate another context tag data that isindicative of the type of the fault, a type of the functional circuit,and the operational state of the functional circuit when the fault isdetected in the functional circuit. Based on the generated context tagdata and the functional domain ID, the recovery circuit may assignanother priority level to the fault and determine a recovery operationfor the fault. The recovery circuit may similarly assign priority levelsto various faults detected in other functional circuits based on thepreviously assigned priority levels, functional domain IDs of thefunctional circuits, and context tag data generated by the recoverycircuit for such faults. The priority levels assigned by the recoverycircuit enable prioritization of the faults based on the degree ofseverity of the faults. Thus, the recovery circuit may perform, based onthe assigned priority level, the determined recovery operation torecover the functional circuit from the fault. Other functional circuitsof the IC may be recovered from the fault in a similar manner asdescribed above.

Thus, the fault management system of the present disclosure detects thefault in the functional circuit, determines the recovery operation forthe fault, and performs the recovery operation to recover the functionalcircuit from the fault. As a result, an operational failure of the IC isprevented. In the present disclosure, the recovery circuit determinesthe recovery operation based on information (e.g., the reporting data)associated with the fault that is received by the recovery circuit. Inother words, a need for the recovery circuit to access the faulty domainto retrieve the information associated with the fault is eliminated.Hence, the availability of the fault management system of the presentdisclosure is greater than that of the conventional fault managementsystems. Similarly, the latency of the fault management system of thepresent disclosure is less than that of the conventional faultmanagement systems. Further, as the need to retrieve the informationassociated with the fault from the faulty domain is eliminated, thereliability of the fault management system of the present disclosure isgreater than that of the conventional fault management systems.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an integrated circuit(IC) 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. TheIC 100 may be a multi-processor IC that may be utilized in variousdevices such as an automotive device, a networking device, or the like.The IC 100 may include a plurality of functional circuits, of which afirst functional circuit 102 a and a second functional circuit 102 b areshown. Further, the IC 100 may include a fault management system 104.

The first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b may includesuitable circuitry that may be configured to perform various functionaloperations. When the IC 100 is embedded within an automotive device, thefunctional operations may correspond to an anti-lock braking operation,an airbag control operation, an adaptive cruise control operation, orthe like. The first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b mayperform separate functional operations concurrently. Alternatively, onefunctional operation may be performed by both the first and secondfunctional circuits 102 a and 102 b. Examples of the first and secondfunctional circuits 102 a and 102 b may include a direct memory access(DMA) controller, a digital signal processor, a math accelerator, aprocessor core, or the like.

The IC 100 may further include first and second pluralities of resources(not shown) that may be accessed by the first and second functionalcircuits 102 a and 102 b for performing the corresponding functionaloperations, respectively. Examples of the first and second plurality ofresources may include one or more hardware schedulers and controllers,one or more clocking circuits, one or more communication peripherals, orthe like. The first and second plurality of resources may be coupled tothe first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b by way of firstand second communication buses (not shown), respectively. Examples ofeach of the first and second communication buses may include an advancedhigh-performance bus (AHB), an advanced peripheral bus (APB), anadvanced extensible interface (AXI) bus, or the like.

The fault management system 104 may be coupled to the first and secondfunctional circuits 102 a and 102 b. The fault management system 104 maybe configured to detect a first fault FT1 in the first functionalcircuit 102 a. The first fault FT1 may be detected in the firstfunctional circuit 102 a while a first functional operation is beingperformed by the first functional circuit 102 a. The first fault FT1 mayoccur based on a failure of access between the first functional circuit102 a and the first plurality of resources or based on a failure of oneor more resources of the first plurality of resources. Similarly, thefault management system 104 may be configured to detect a second faultFT2 in the second functional circuit 102 b. The second fault FT2 may bedetected in the second functional circuit 102 b while a secondfunctional operation is being performed by the second functional circuit102 b. The second fault FT2 may occur based on a failure of accessbetween the second functional circuit 102 b and the second plurality ofresources or based on a failure of one or more resources of the secondplurality of resources. In an example, the first and second faults FT1and FT2 are detected simultaneously. In another example, the first andsecond faults FT1 and FT2 are detected sequentially.

The fault management system 104 may be further configured to determine afirst recovery operation for the first fault FT1 and a second recoveryoperation for the second fault FT2. Further, the fault management system104 may be configured to perform the determined first recovery operationto recover the first functional circuit 102 a from the first fault FT1.Examples of the first recovery operation may include a reset of thefirst functional circuit 102 a, a reset of a domain associated with thefirst functional circuit 102 a (e.g., a partition of the IC 100 thatincludes the first functional circuit 102 a), a reset of the IC 100, orthe like. Similarly, the fault management system 104 may be configuredto perform the determined second recovery operation to recover thesecond functional circuit 102 b from the second fault FT2. Examples ofthe second recovery operation may include a reset of the secondfunctional circuit 102 b, a reset of a domain associated with the secondfunctional circuit 102 b (e.g., a partition of the IC 100 that includesthe second functional circuit 102 b), a reset of the IC 100, or thelike.

The order in which the first and second recovery operations areperformed is determined based on a degree of severity of the associatedfaults. For example, when a degree of severity of the first fault FT1 isgreater than a degree of severity of the second fault FT2, the firstrecovery operation is performed before the second recovery operation.Conversely, when the degree of severity of the first fault FT1 is lessthan the degree of severity of the second fault FT2, the second recoveryoperation is performed before the first recovery operation. Further,when the degree of severity of the first fault FT1 is same as the degreeof severity of the second fault FT2, the order in which the first andsecond recovery operations are performed may be same as the order inwhich the first and second faults FT1 and FT2 are detected.Alternatively, when the degree of severity of the first fault FT1 issame as the degree of severity of the second fault FT2, any of the firstand second recovery operations may be prioritized.

The fault management system 104 may be further configured to facilitatediagnosis of the first and second faults FT1 and FT2 after the first andsecond functional circuits 102 a and 102 b are recovered from the firstand second faults FT1 and FT2, respectively. Other functional circuitsof the IC 100 may be recovered from corresponding faults by the faultmanagement system 104 in a similar manner as described above. The faultmanagement system 104 is explained in detail in conjunction with FIGS.2, 3, 4, 5, and 6A-6D.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the fault managementsystem 104 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.The fault management system 104 may include a plurality of detectioncircuits of which a first detection circuit 202 a and a second detectioncircuit 202 b are shown, and a plurality of reporting circuitries ofwhich first reporting circuitry 204 a and second reporting circuitry 204b are shown. The fault management system 104 may further include arecovery circuit 206. The first detection circuit 202 a and the firstreporting circuitry 204 a are associated with (e.g., are included in thefault management system 104 for) the first functional circuit 102 a.Similarly, the second detection circuit 202 b and the second reportingcircuitry 204 b are associated with (e.g., are included in the faultmanagement system 104 for) the second functional circuit 102 b. Thefirst reporting circuitry 204 a may include a first storage element 208a, a first processing circuit 210 a, a first counter 212 a, and a firstdiagnostic circuit 214 a. Similarly, the second reporting circuitry 204b may include a second storage element 208 b, a second processingcircuit 210 b, a second counter 212 b, and a second diagnostic circuit214 b. The fault management system 104 may further include a thirdstorage element 216.

The following table illustrates various signals and data described inFIG. 2 :

Signal/Data Description First and second Indicative of the first andsecond faults FT1 and fault indications FT2 detected in the first andsecond functional FI1 and FI2 circuits 102a and 102b, respectively Firstfunctional Indicative of the first functional circuit 102a in domain IDFN1 which the first fault FT1 is detected and the first functionaloperation being performed by the first functional circuit 102a when thefirst fault FT1 is detected therein Second Indicative of the secondfunctional circuit 102b functional in which the second fault FT2 isdetected and domain the second functional operation being performed IDFN2 by the second functional circuit 102b when the second fault FT2 isdetected therein First context Indicates the type of the first fault FT1and the tag data CT1 operational state of the first functional circuit102a when the first fault FT1 is detected therein Second contextIndicates the type of the second fault FT2 and the tag data CT2operational state of the second functional circuit 102b when the secondfault FT2 is detected therein First reporting Includes information (suchas the type of the first data RD1 fault FT1, a priority level of thefirst fault FT1, or the like) required by the recovery circuit 206 torecover the first functional circuit 102a from the first fault FT1Second Includes information (such as the type of the reporting secondfault FT2, a priority level of the second data RD2 fault FT2, or thelike) required by the recovery circuit 206 to recover the secondfunctional circuit 102b from the second fault FT2 First count Valuegenerated by the first counter 212a, and is CO1 incremented each time afault indication associated with the first functional circuit 102a isreceived by the first processing circuit 210a Second count Valuegenerated by the second counter 212b, CO2 and is incremented each time afault indication associated with the second functional circuit 102b isreceived by the second processing circuit 210b First and Utilized forincrementing the first counter 212a second count and these cond counter212b, respectively control signals CS1 and CS2 Third context Indicatesthe type of the first fault FT1, the tag data operational state of thefirst functional circuit CT3 102a when the first fault FT1 is detectedtherein, and the type of the first functional circuit 102a Fourthcontext Indicates the type of the second fault FT2, the tag data CT4operational state of the second functional circuit 102b when the secondfault FT2 is detected therein, and the type of the second functionalcircuit 102b

The first detection circuit 202 a may be coupled to the first functionalcircuit 102 a and the first reporting circuitry 204 a. Similarly, thesecond detection circuit 202 b may be coupled to the second functionalcircuit 102 b and the second reporting circuitry 204 b. The first andsecond detection circuits 202 a and 202 b may include suitable circuitrythat may be configured to perform one or more operations. For example,the first detection circuit 202 a may be configured to detect the firstfault FT1 in the first functional circuit 102 a and generate a firstfault indication FI1 that is indicative of the detected first fault FT1.Similarly, the second detection circuit 202 b may be configured todetect the second fault FT2 in the second functional circuit 102 b andgenerate a second fault indication FI2 that is indicative of thedetected second fault FT2. In an embodiment, the first and seconddetection circuits 202 a and 202 b generate the first and second faultindications FI1 and FI2 at a logic high state to indicate that the firstand second faults FT1 and FT2 are detected, respectively.

The first and second detection circuits 202 a and 202 b may be furtherconfigured to determine that the first and second faults FT1 and FT2 aredetected in the first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 bwhile the first and second functional operations are being performed bythe first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b, respectively.Further, the first and second detection circuits 202 a and 202 b may beconfigured to provide the first and second fault indications FI1 and FI2to the first and second reporting circuitries 204 a and 204 b,respectively.

The fault management system 104 may further include a first set ofconnection lines, of which a first connection line 218 a, a secondconnection line 218 b, and a third connection line 218 c are shown, anda second set of connection lines, of which a fourth connection line 218d, a fifth connection line 218 e, and a sixth connection line 218 f areshown. The first detection circuit 202 a may be coupled to the firstreporting circuitry 204 a (e.g., the first processing circuit 210 a) byway of the first set of connection lines. Similarly, the seconddetection circuit 202 b may be coupled to the second reporting circuitry204 b (e.g., the second processing circuit 210 b) by way of the secondset of connection lines. Each connection line has an associatedconnection line identifier (ID) that may represent a domain IDassociated with a fault (e.g., the first and second faults FT1 and FT2).The domain ID associated with a fault may indicate a functional circuitin which the fault is detected and a functional operation beingperformed by the functional circuit when the corresponding fault isdetected therein.

Thus, based on the first fault FT1, the first functional circuit 102 ain which the first fault FT is detected, and the first functionaloperation being performed by the first functional circuit 102 a when thefirst fault FT1 is detected, the first detection circuit 202 a selects aconnection line from the first set of connection lines. Similarly, basedon the second fault FT2, the second functional circuit 102 b in whichthe second fault FT2 is detected, and the second functional operationbeing performed by the second functional circuit 102 b when the secondfault FT2 is detected, the second detection circuit 202 b selects aconnection line from the second set of connection lines. Further, thefirst and second detection circuits 202 a and 202 b may be configured toprovide the first and second fault indications FI1 and FI2 to the firstand second reporting circuitries 204 a and 204 b (e.g., the first andsecond processing circuits 210 a and 210 b) by way of the correspondingselected connection lines, respectively. It is assumed that the firstconnection line 218 a is selected by the first detection circuit 202 aand the fourth connection line 218 d is selected by the second detectioncircuit 202 b.

The first reporting circuitry 204 a may be coupled to the firstdetection circuit 202 a and the recovery circuit 206. The firstreporting circuitry 204 a may be configured to receive the first faultindication FI1 from the first detection circuit 202 a (e.g., by way ofthe first connection line 218 a). Based on the received first faultindication FI1, the first reporting circuitry 204 a may be furtherconfigured to identify a first functional domain ID FN1 associated withthe first fault FT1. The first reporting circuitry 204 a identifies thefirst functional domain ID FN1 based on the connection line ID of thefirst connection line 218 a by way of which the first fault indicationFI1 is received. The first functional domain ID FN1 may be indicative ofthe first functional circuit 102 a in which the first fault FT1 isdetected and the first functional operation (e.g., the anti-lock brakingoperation, the airbag control operation, the adaptive cruise controloperation, or the like) performed by the first functional circuit 102 awhen the first fault FT1 is detected. Further, based on the first faultindication FI1, the first reporting circuitry 204 a may be configured togenerate first context tag data CT1. The first context tag data CT1 maybe indicative of a type of the first fault FT1 (e.g., a parity fault, atimeout fault, or the like) and an operational state (e.g., a bootingstate, a runtime state, or the like) of the first functional circuit 102a when the first fault FT1 is detected in the first functional circuit102 a.

The first reporting circuitry 204 a may be further configured to assigna first priority level to the first fault FT1 based on the firstfunctional domain ID FN1 and the first context tag data CT1. The firstpriority level is assigned based on a degree of severity of the firstfault FT1 as determined at the first reporting circuitry 204 a (e.g., atthe first processing circuit 210 a). Further, the first reportingcircuitry 204 a may be configured to generate first reporting data RD1associated with the first fault FT1 and provide the first reporting dataRD1 to the recovery circuit 206. The first reporting data RD1 mayinclude the first functional domain ID FN1, the first context tag dataCT1, and the first priority level. The first functional circuit 102 amay be recovered from the first fault FT1 based on the first reportingdata RD1 (e.g., based on the first functional domain ID FN1, the firstcontext tag data CT1, and the first priority level).

The first reporting circuitry 204 a may be further configured to receivefirst status data SD1 from the recovery circuit 206. The first statusdata SD1 is generated by the recovery circuit 206 based on the recoveryof the first functional circuit 102 a. Based on the first status dataSD1 and the first context tag data CT1, the first reporting circuitry204 a may be further configured to facilitate the diagnosis of the firstfault FT1. The diagnosis is performed after the first functional circuit102 a is recovered from the first fault FT1.

The first storage element 208 a may include suitable circuitry that maybe configured to perform one or more operations. For example, the firststorage element 208 a may be configured to store a mapping between aplurality of predefined domain IDs, a first predefined context data set,and a first plurality of policies associated with the first processingcircuit 210 a. Each context data of the first predefined context dataset may be indicative of a fault type and an operational state. Each setof policies of the first plurality of policies may include variouspredefined rules that may enable the first processing circuit 210 a todetermine the degree of severity of the first fault FT1. In other words,the first plurality of policies may define various severity levelsassociated with the first fault FT1. The first storage element 208 a isillustrated in FIG. 3 .

The first processing circuit 210 a may be coupled to the first detectioncircuit 202 a, the first storage element 208 a, the first counter 212 a,the first diagnostic circuit 214 a, and the recovery circuit 206. Thefirst processing circuit 210 a may include suitable circuitry that maybe configured to perform one or more operations. For example, the firstprocessing circuit 210 a may be configured to receive the first faultindication FI1 from the first detection circuit 202 a. Further, thefirst processing circuit 210 a may be configured to identify, based onthe first fault indication FI1, the first functional domain ID FN1associated with the first fault FT1. In an embodiment, the firstprocessing circuit 210 a may identify the first functional domain ID FN1based on the connection line ID of the first connection line 218 a byway of which the first fault indication FI1 is received from the firstdetection circuit 202 a.

The first processing circuit 210 a may be further configured togenerate, based on the first fault indication FI1, the first context tagdata CT1 that may be indicative of the type of the first fault FT1 andthe operational state of the first functional circuit 102 a when thefirst fault FT1 is detected in the first functional circuit 102 a. Togenerate the first context tag data CT1, the first processing circuit210 a may be further configured to monitor the first functional circuit102 a, and record, when the first fault indication FI1 is received, thetype of the first fault FT1 and the operational state of the firstfunctional circuit 102 a. For example, the first processing circuit 210a records that the detected first fault FT1 is a timeout fault thatoccurred in the first functional circuit 102 a during a booting state ofthe first functional circuit 102 a. The type of the first fault FT1 andthe operational state of the first functional circuit 102 a when thefirst fault FT1 is detected in the first functional circuit 102 a arethus recorded in real-time. The first processing circuit 210 a may befurther configured to provide the first context tag data CT1 to thefirst diagnostic circuit 214 a.

The first processing circuit 210 a may be further configured to compare,by accessing the first storage element 208 a, the first functionaldomain ID FN1 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality ofpredefined domain IDs. Similarly, the first processing circuit 210 a maybe further configured to compare, by accessing the first storage element208 a, the first context tag data CT1 with each predefined context dataof the first predefined context data set. Based on the two comparisonoperations, the first processing circuit 210 a may be further configuredto select, from the first plurality of policies, one set of policiesthat is associated with the first functional domain ID FN1 and the firstcontext tag data CT1. In other words, the first processing circuit 210 amay be further configured to retrieve one set of policies associatedwith the first functional domain ID FN1 and the first context tag dataCT1 from the first storage element 208 a. It is assumed that a first setof policies PL1 of the first plurality of policies is selected (e.g.,retrieved) from the first storage element 208 a. The first set ofpolicies PL1 is indicative of the degree of severity of the first faultFT1 as determined at the first processing circuit 210 a. Based on theselected first set of policies PL1, the first processing circuit 210 amay be further configured to assign the first priority level to thefirst fault FT1. In other words, the first processing circuit 210 a mayassign the first priority level to the first fault FT1 based on thefirst context tag data CT1 and the first functional domain ID FN1.

The first processing circuit 210 a may be further configured to receivea first count CO1 from the first counter 212 a. The first count CO1 maybe indicative of a number of times fault indications associated with thefirst functional circuit 102 a are received by the first processingcircuit 210 a (e.g., a number of faults that are detected in onefunctional circuit). Thus, the first count CO1 is incremented when thefirst fault indication FI1 is received. To increment the first counter212 a (e.g., the first count CO1), the first processing circuit 210 amay be further configured to generate and provide a first count controlsignal CS1 to the first counter 212 a. In an embodiment, the firstcounter 212 a is incremented when the first count control signal CS1 isat a logic high state.

The first processing circuit 210 a may further assign the first prioritylevel to the first fault FT1 based on the first count CO1 of the firstcounter 212 a. In an example, when the first count CO1 has a firstvalue, the first priority level assigned to the first fault FT1 isgreater than that assigned when the first count CO1 has a second valuethat is less than the first value. Thus, if faults are repeatedlydetected in the same functional circuit, the priority levels for suchfaults increase with each detection, thereby ensuring such faults areaddressed before other faults.

The first processing circuit 210 a may be further configured to generatethe first reporting data RD1 associated with the first fault FT1 andprovide the first reporting data RD1 to the recovery circuit 206. Thefirst reporting data RD1 may include the first functional domain ID FN1,the first context tag data CT1, and the first priority level. The firstreporting data RD1 enables the recovery circuit 206 to respond to thefirst fault FT1 without having to access the domain associated with thefirst functional circuit 102 a. In other words, the first functionalcircuit 102 a may be recovered from the first fault FT1 based on thefirst reporting data RD1.

The first counter 212 a may be coupled to the first processing circuit210 a. The first counter 212 a may include suitable circuitry that maybe configured to perform one or more operations. For example, the firstcounter 212 a may be configured to receive the first count controlsignal CS1 from the first processing circuit 210 a. Based on the firstcount control signal CS1, the first counter 212 a may be furtherconfigured to generate the first count CO1 such that the first count CO1is incremented when the first count control signal CS1 is at the logichigh state. In other words, the first counter 212 a is incremented eachtime a fault indication (such as the first fault indication FI1)associated with the first functional circuit 102 a is received by thefirst processing circuit 210 a. Further, the first counter 212 a may bereset when the IC 100 is reset.

The first diagnostic circuit 214 a may be coupled to the recoverycircuit 206 and the first processing circuit 210 a. The first diagnosticcircuit 214 a may include suitable circuitry that may be configured toperform one or more operations. For example, the first diagnosticcircuit 214 a may be configured to receive the first status data SD1from the recovery circuit 206 and the first context tag data CT1 fromthe first processing circuit 210 a. Based on the first context tag dataCT1 and the first status data SD1, the first diagnostic circuit 214 amay be further configured to facilitate the diagnosis of the first faultFT1 after the first functional circuit 102 a is recovered from the firstfault FT1. In an embodiment, the first diagnostic circuit 214 acorresponds to a memory that stores the first context tag data CT1 andthe first status data SD1. The first context tag data CT1 and the firststatus data SD1 stored in the first diagnostic circuit 214 a is retainedwhen the first functional circuit 102 a is reset and when the domainassociated with the first functional circuit 102 a is reset. In such ascenario, the IC 100 may further include a core circuit (not shown) thatmay access the first diagnostic circuit 214 a to retrieve the firstcontext tag data CT1 and the first status data SD1 for the diagnosis ofthe first fault FT1.

The second reporting circuitry 204 b may be coupled to the seconddetection circuit 202 b and the recovery circuit 206. The secondreporting circuitry 204 b may operate in a manner similar to the firstreporting circuitry 204 a. For example, the second reporting circuitry204 b may be configured to receive the second fault indication FI2 fromthe second detection circuit 202 b (e.g., by way of the fourthconnection line 218 d). Based on the received second fault indicationFI2, the second reporting circuitry 204 b may be further configured toidentify a second functional domain ID FN2 associated with the secondfault FT2. The second reporting circuitry 204 b identifies the secondfunctional domain ID FN2 based on the connection line ID of the fourthconnection line 218 d by way of which the second fault indication FI2 isreceived. The second functional domain ID FN2 may be indicative of thesecond functional circuit 102 b in which the second fault FT2 isdetected and the second functional operation performed by the secondfunctional circuit 102 b when the second fault FT2 is detected. Further,based on the second fault indication FI2, the second reporting circuitry204 b may be configured to generate second context tag data CT2. Thesecond context tag data CT2 may be indicative of a type of the secondfault FT2 and an operational state of the second functional circuit 102b when the second fault FT2 is detected in the second functional circuit102 b.

The second reporting circuitry 204 b may be further configured to assigna second priority level to the second fault FT2 based on the secondfunctional domain ID FN2 and the second context tag data CT2. The secondpriority level is assigned based on a degree of severity of the secondfault FT2 as determined at the second reporting circuitry 204 b (e.g.,at the second processing circuit 210 b). Further, the second reportingcircuitry 204 b may be configured to generate second reporting data RD2associated with the second fault FT2 and provide the second reportingdata RD2 to the recovery circuit 206. The second reporting data RD2 mayinclude the second functional domain ID FN2, the second context tag dataCT2, and the second priority level. The second functional circuit 102 bmay be recovered from the second fault FT2 based on the second reportingdata RD2.

The second reporting circuitry 204 b may be further configured toreceive second status data SD2 from the recovery circuit 206. The secondstatus data SD2 is generated by the recovery circuit 206 based on therecovery of the second functional circuit 102 b. Based on the secondstatus data SD2 and the second context tag data CT2, the secondreporting circuitry 204 b may be further configured to facilitate thediagnosis of the second fault FT2. The diagnosis is performed after thesecond functional circuit 102 b is recovered from the second fault FT2.

The second storage element 208 b may include suitable circuitry that maybe configured to perform one or more operations. For example, the secondstorage element 208 b may be configured to store a mapping between theplurality of predefined domain IDs, a second predefined context dataset, and a second plurality of policies associated with the secondprocessing circuit 210 b. Each context data of the second predefinedcontext data set may be indicative of a fault type and an operationalstate. Each set of policies of the second plurality of policies mayinclude various predefined rules that may enable the second processingcircuit 210 b to determine the degree of severity of the second faultFT2. The second storage element 208 b is illustrated in FIG. 4 .

The second processing circuit 210 b may be coupled to the seconddetection circuit 202 b, the second storage element 208 b, the secondcounter 212 b, the second diagnostic circuit 214 b, and the recoverycircuit 206. The second processing circuit 210 b may include suitablecircuitry that may be configured to perform one or more operations. Forexample, the second processing circuit 210 b may be configured toreceive the second fault indication FI2 from the second detectioncircuit 202 b, and identify, based on the second fault indication FI2,the second functional domain ID FN2 associated with the second faultFT2. In an embodiment, the second processing circuit 210 b may identifythe second functional domain ID FN2 based on the connection line ID ofthe fourth connection line 218 d. The second processing circuit 210 bmay be further configured to generate, based on the second faultindication FI2, the second context tag data CT2. To generate the secondcontext tag data CT2, the second processing circuit 210 b may be furtherconfigured to monitor the second functional circuit 102 b, and record,when the second fault indication FI2 is received, the type of the secondfault FT2 and the operational state of the second functional circuit 102b. The second processing circuit 210 b may be further configured toprovide the second context tag data CT2 to the second diagnostic circuit214 b.

The second processing circuit 210 b may be further configured tocompare, by accessing the second storage element 208 b, the secondfunctional domain ID FN2 with each predefined domain ID of the pluralityof predefined domain IDs. Similarly, the second processing circuit 210 bmay be further configured to compare, by accessing the second storageelement 208 b, the second context tag data CT2 with each predefinedcontext data of the second predefined context data set. Based on the twocomparison operations, the second processing circuit 210 b may befurther configured to select, from the second plurality of policies, oneset of policies that is associated with the second functional domain IDFN2 and the second context tag data CT2. It is assumed that a second setof policies PL2 of the second plurality of policies is selected (e.g.,retrieved) from the second storage element 208 b. Based on the selectedsecond set of policies PL2, the second processing circuit 210 b may befurther configured to assign the second priority level to the secondfault FT2. In other words, the second processing circuit 210 b mayassign the second priority level to the second fault FT2 based on thesecond context tag data CT2 and the second functional domain ID FN2.

The second processing circuit 210 b may be further configured to receivea second count CO2 from the second counter 212 b. The second count CO2may be indicative of a number of times fault indications associated withthe second functional circuit 102 b are received by the secondprocessing circuit 210 b. Thus, the second count CO2 is incremented whenthe second fault indication FI2 is received. To increment the secondcounter 212 b (e.g., the second count CO2), the second processingcircuit 210 b may be further configured to generate and provide a secondcount control signal CS2 to the second counter 212 b. Thus, the secondprocessing circuit 210 b may further assign the second priority level tothe second fault FT2 based on the second count CO2 of the second counter212 b.

The second processing circuit 210 b may be further configured togenerate the second reporting data RD2 associated with the second faultFT2 and provide the second reporting data RD2 to the recovery circuit206. The second reporting data RD2 may include the second functionaldomain ID FN2, the second context tag data CT2, and the second prioritylevel. The second reporting data RD2 enables the recovery circuit 206 torespond to the second fault FT2 without having to access the domainassociated with the second functional circuit 102 b.

The second counter 212 b may be coupled to the second processing circuit210 b. The second counter 212 b may include suitable circuitry that maybe configured to perform one or more operations. For example, the secondcounter 212 b may be configured to receive the second count controlsignal CS2 from the second processing circuit 210 b. Based on the secondcount control signal CS2, the second counter 212 b may be furtherconfigured to generate the second count CO2 such that the second countCO2 is incremented when the second count control signal CS2 is at thelogic high state. Further, the second counter 212 b may be reset whenthe IC 100 is reset.

The second diagnostic circuit 214 b may be coupled to the recoverycircuit 206 and the second processing circuit 210 b. The seconddiagnostic circuit 214 b may include suitable circuitry that may beconfigured to perform one or more operations. For example, the seconddiagnostic circuit 214 b may be configured to receive the second statusdata SD2 from the recovery circuit 206 and the second context tag dataCT2 from the second processing circuit 210 b. Based on the secondcontext tag data CT2 and the second status data SD2, the seconddiagnostic circuit 214 b may be further configured to facilitate thediagnosis of the second fault FT2 after the second functional circuit102 b is recovered from the second fault FT2. In an embodiment, thesecond diagnostic circuit 214 b is structurally and functionally same asthe first diagnostic circuit 214 a.

The third storage element 216 may be coupled to the recovery circuit206. The third storage element 216 may include suitable circuitry thatmay be configured to perform one or more operations. For example, thethird storage element 216 may be configured to store a mapping betweenthe plurality of predefined domain IDs, a third predefined context dataset, and a third plurality of policies that is associated with therecovery circuit 206. Each context data of the third predefined contextdata set may be indicative of a functional circuit type, a fault type,and an operational state. Each set of policies of the third plurality ofpolicies may include various predefined rules that may enable therecovery circuit 206 to determine the degree of severity of the firstand second faults FT1 and FT2 and the first and second recoveryoperations for the first and second faults FT1 and FT2, respectively.The third storage element 216 is illustrated in FIG. 5 .

The recovery circuit 206 may be coupled to the first reporting circuitry204 a (e.g., the first processing circuit 210 a and the first diagnosticcircuit 214 a), the second reporting circuitry 204 b (e.g., the secondprocessing circuit 210 b and the second diagnostic circuit 214 b), andthe third storage element 216. Further, the recovery circuit 206 may becoupled to the first functional circuit 102 a and the second functionalcircuit 102 b. The recovery circuit 206 may include suitable circuitrythat may be configured to perform one or more operations. For example,the recovery circuit 206 may be configured to receive the first andsecond reporting data RD1 and RD2 from the first and second processingcircuits 210 a and 210 b, respectively. In an example, the first andsecond reporting data RD1 and RD2 are received simultaneously. Inanother example, the first and second reporting data RD1 and RD2 arereceived sequentially. When the first reporting data RD1 is received,the recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to determine, basedon the first functional domain ID FN1, a type of the first functionalcircuit 102 a. Similarly, when the second reporting data RD2 isreceived, the recovery circuit 206 may be further configured todetermine, based on the second functional domain ID FN2, a type of thesecond functional circuit 102 b.

The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to generate thirdcontext tag data CT3 associated with the first fault FT1 and fourthcontext tag data CT4 associated with the second fault FT2. The recoverycircuit 206 generates the third and fourth context tag data CT3 and CT4to facilitate recovery of the first and second functional circuits 102 aand 102 b from the first and second faults FT1 and FT2, respectively.The third context tag data CT3 may be indicative of the type of thefirst fault FT1, the type of the first functional circuit 102 a, and theoperational state of the first functional circuit 102 a when the firstfault FT1 is detected therein. The type of the first fault FT1 and theoperational state of the first functional circuit 102 a are indicated bythe first context tag data CT1, whereas the type of the first functionalcircuit 102 a is determined by the recovery circuit 206 in real-time.The recovery circuit 206 may thus generate the third context tag dataCT3 based on the first context tag data CT1 and the first functionaldomain ID FN1. In an example, the recovery circuit 206 may generate thethird context tag data CT3 indicating that a timeout fault occurred in aDMA controller during a booting state of the DMA controller. Similarly,the fourth context tag data CT4 may be indicative of the type of thesecond fault FT2, the type of the second functional circuit 102 b, andthe operational state of the second functional circuit 102 b when thesecond fault FT2 is detected therein.

The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to compare, byaccessing the third storage element 216, the first functional domain IDFN1 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality of predefined domainIDs. Similarly, the recovery circuit 206 may be further configured tocompare, by accessing the third storage element 216, the third contexttag data CT3 with each predefined context data of the third predefinedcontext data set. Based on the two comparison operations, the recoverycircuit 206 may be further configured to select, from the thirdplurality of policies, one set of policies that is associated with thefirst functional domain ID FN1 and the third context tag data CT3. Inother words, the recovery circuit 206 may be configured to retrieve oneset of policies associated with the first functional domain ID FN1 andthe third context tag data CT3 from the third storage element 216.Similarly, the recovery circuit 206 may be further configured tocompare, by accessing the third storage element 216, the secondfunctional domain ID FN2 with each predefined domain ID of the pluralityof predefined domain IDs and the fourth context tag data CT4 with eachpredefined context data of the third predefined context data set. Basedon the two comparison operations, the recovery circuit 206 may befurther configured to select, from the third plurality of policies, oneset of policies that is associated with the second functional domain IDFN2 and the fourth context tag data CT4.

It is assumed that third and fourth sets of policies PL3 and PL4 of thethird plurality of policies are selected (i.e., retrieved) from thethird storage element 216 for the first and second faults FT1 and FT2,respectively. The recovery circuit 206 selects the third set of policiesPL3 for the first fault FT1 based on the comparison of the firstfunctional domain ID FN1 with each predefined domain ID of the pluralityof predefined domain IDs and the comparison of the third context tagdata CT3 with each predefined context data of the third predefinedcontext data set. The selected third set of policies PL3 is indicativeof the degree of severity of the first fault FT1 as determined at therecovery circuit 206 and the first recovery operation for the firstfault FT1. Similarly, the recovery circuit 206 selects the fourth set ofpolicies PL4 for the second fault FT2 based on the comparison of thesecond functional domain ID FN2 with each predefined domain ID of theplurality of predefined domain IDs and the comparison of the fourthcontext tag data CT4 with each predefined context data of the thirdpredefined context data set. The selected fourth set of policies PL4 isindicative of the degree of severity of the second fault FT2 asdetermined at the recovery circuit 206 and the second recovery operationfor the second fault FT2.

The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to assign a thirdpriority level to the first fault FT1 based on the selected third set ofpolicies PL3 and the first priority level. In other words, the recoverycircuit 206 may assign the third priority level to the first fault FT1based on the third context tag data CT3, the first functional domain IDFN1, and the first priority level. The third priority level may be sameas the first priority level or may be different from the first prioritylevel. As the third priority level is assigned based on additionalinformation (e.g., the type of the first functional circuit 102 a), thethird priority level is more refined (i.e., more accurate) than thefirst priority level. For example, if the first functional circuit 102 ais a critical component of the IC 100, the third priority level isgreater than the first priority level. The recovery circuit 206 may befurther configured to determine, based on the selected third set ofpolicies PL3 (e.g., one or more predefined rules included therein), thefirst recovery operation associated with the first fault FT1. Therecovery circuit 206 thus determines the first recovery operation basedon the third context tag data CT3 and the first functional domain IDFN1.

The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to assign a fourthpriority level to the second fault FT2 based on the selected fourth setof policies PL4 and the second priority level. In other words, therecovery circuit 206 may assign the fourth priority level to the secondfault FT2 based on the fourth context tag data CT4, the secondfunctional domain ID FN2, and the second priority level. The fourthpriority level may be same as the second priority level or may bedifferent from the second priority level. As the fourth priority levelis assigned based on additional information (e.g., the type of thesecond functional circuit 102 b), the fourth priority level is morerefined (i.e., more accurate) than the second priority level. Forexample, if the second functional circuit 102 b is a critical componentof the IC 100, the fourth priority level is greater than the secondpriority level. The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured todetermine, based on the selected fourth set of policies PL4 (e.g., oneor more predefined rules included therein), the second recoveryoperation associated with the second fault FT2. The recovery circuit 206thus determines the second recovery operation based on the fourthcontext tag data CT4 and the second functional domain ID FN2.

The recovery circuit 206 may be configured to perform, based on thethird and fourth priority levels, the first and second recoveryoperations to recover the first and second functional circuits 102 a and102 b from the first and second faults FT1 and FT2, respectively. Whenthe third priority level is greater than the fourth priority level, thefirst recovery operation is performed before the second recoveryoperation. Conversely, when the third priority level is less than thefourth priority level, the second recovery operation is performed beforethe first recovery operation. When the third and fourth priority levelsare same, the order in which the first and second recovery operationsare performed may be same as the order in which the first and secondreporting data RD1 and RD2 are received by the recovery circuit 206. Insuch a scenario, if the first and second reporting data RD1 and RD2 arereceived simultaneously, any of the first and second recovery operationsmay be prioritized. Further, if one of the first and second recoveryoperations corresponds to the reset of the IC 100, the other recoveryoperation is not performed. Various faults detected in other functionalcircuits of the IC 100 may be managed in a similar manner as describedabove

The priority levels assigned by the recovery circuit 206 enable theprioritization of faults based on the degree of severity of the faults.For example, if two faults are assigned equal priority levels byassociated processing circuits, the recovery circuit 206 assigns ahigher priority level to one of the two faults based on the types offunctional circuits in which the faults are detected. For example, ifone fault is detected in a processor core associated with an operatingsystem and the other fault is detected in a math accelerator, the faultdetected in the processor core is assigned a higher priority level thanthe fault detected in the math accelerator. In such a scenario, therecovery operation for the fault detected in the processor core is to beperformed before performing the recovery operation for the faultdetected in the math accelerator.

The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to generate the firstand second status data SD1 and SD2 based on the first and secondrecovery operations that are performed to recover the first and secondfunctional circuits 102 a and 102 b from the first and second faults FT1and FT2, respectively. Further, the recovery circuit 206 may beconfigured to provide the first and second status data SD1 and SD2 tothe first and second diagnostic circuits 214 a and 214 b, respectively.The recovery circuit 206 may be further configured to provide the firstand second status data SD1 and SD2 and the first and second context tagdata CT1 and CT2 to a controller (not shown) that is external to the IC100 for facilitating the diagnosis of the first and second faults FT1and FT2, respectively.

Variations in the Fault Management System 104 of FIG. 2 :

In a first variation, the first and second processing circuits 210 a and210 b may determine and perform the first and second recovery operationsbased on the first and second reporting data RD1 and RD2 to recover thefirst and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b, respectively,instead of the recovery circuit 206 performing the first and secondrecovery operations. In such a scenario, the predefined rules includedin each set of policies of the first and second pluralities of policiesmay further enable the first and second processing circuits 210 a and210 b to determine the first and second recovery operations for thefirst and second faults FT1 and FT2, respectively.

In a second variation, if the recovery circuit 206 fails to recover thefirst and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b from the first andsecond faults FT1 and FT2, the recovery circuit 206 may generate andprovide a trigger signal (not shown) to the controller that is externalto the IC 100. In such a scenario, the controller may reset the IC 100.

In a third variation, the first and second counters 212 a and 212 b maybe reset or decremented in a different manner (e.g., when the first andsecond functional circuits 102 a and 102 b are reset, when the domainsassociated with the first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 bare reset, or the like) instead of being reset when the IC 100 is reset.

In a fourth variation, the first detection circuit 202 a and the firstreporting circuitry 204 a may be coupled to multiple functional circuitsinstead of a single functional circuit (e.g., the first functionalcircuit 102 a). In such a scenario, the first reporting circuitry 204 amay include one counter for each functional circuit, and each suchcounter may operate in a manner similar to the first counter 212 a.Similarly, the second detection circuit 202 b and the second reportingcircuitry 204 b may be coupled to multiple functional circuits insteadof a single functional circuit (e.g., the second functional circuit 102b). In such a scenario, the second reporting circuitry 204 b may includeone counter for each functional circuit, and each such counter mayoperate in a manner similar to the second counter 212 b.

In a fifth variation, the first and second reporting circuitries 204 aand 204 b may share a common diagnostic circuit, instead of the firstand second reporting circuitries 204 a and 204 b having dedicateddiagnostic circuits.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of the first storage element 208a in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The firststorage element 208 a may be configured to store the mapping between theplurality of predefined domain IDs, the first predefined context dataset, and the first plurality of policies associated with the firstprocessing circuit 210 a. The plurality of predefined domain IDs mayinclude first through third predefined domain IDs PD1-PD3, and the firstpredefined context data set may include first through third predefinedcontext data PC1-PC3. Similarly, the first plurality of policies mayinclude the first set of policies PL1 and fifth and sixth sets ofpolicies PL5 and PL6. The core circuit may be configured to generate andstore the mapping between the plurality of predefined domain IDs, thefirst predefined context data set, and the first plurality of policiesin the first storage element 208 a. The mapping may be stored during aboot operation of the IC 100.

The mapping between the plurality of predefined domain IDs, the firstpredefined context data set, and the first plurality of policies may bestored in the first storage element 208 a in the form of a first look-uptable (LUT) LT1. As illustrated by a first row of the first LUT LT1, thefirst predefined domain ID PD1 and the first predefined context data PC1are mapped to the first set of policies PL1. Similarly, as illustratedby a second row of the first LUT LT1, the second predefined domain IDPD2 and the second predefined context data PC2 are mapped to the fifthset of policies PL5. Further, as illustrated by a third row of the firstLUT LT1, the third predefined domain ID PD3 and the third predefinedcontext data PC3 are mapped to the sixth set of policies PL6.

The first processing circuit 210 a compares the first functional domainID FN1 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality of predefineddomain IDs and the first context tag data CT1 with each predefinedcontext data of the first predefined context data set. When the firstfunctional domain ID FN1 and the first context tag data CT1 matches onepredefined domain ID and one predefined context data, respectively, theassociated set of policies from the first plurality of policies isselected (e.g., retrieved) from the first storage element 208 a. Thus,the first set of policies PL1 is selected when the first functionaldomain ID FN1 matches the first predefined domain ID PD1 and the firstcontext tag data CT1 matches the first predefined context data PC1.

The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the first LUT LT1including the mapping between three predefined domain IDs, threepredefined context data, and three sets of policies. In various otherembodiments, a count of the predefined domain IDs, a count of thecontext data, and a count of the sets of policies may be less than ormore than three, without deviating from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of the second storage element 208b in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The secondstorage element 208 b may be configured to store the mapping between theplurality of predefined domain IDs, the second predefined context dataset, and the second plurality of policies associated with the secondprocessing circuit 210 b. The plurality of predefined domain IDs mayinclude the first through third predefined domain IDs PD1-PD3, and thesecond predefined context data set may include fourth through sixthpredefined context data PC4-PC6. Similarly, the second plurality ofpolicies may include the second set of policies PL2 and seventh andeighth sets of policies PL7 and PL8.

The mapping between the plurality of predefined domain IDs, the secondpredefined context data set, and the second plurality of policies may bestored in the second storage element 208 b in the form of a second LUTLT2. As illustrated by a first row of the second LUT LT2, the firstpredefined domain ID PD1 and the fourth predefined context data PC4 aremapped to the seventh set of policies PL7. Similarly, as illustrated bya second row of the second LUT LT2, the second predefined domain ID PD2and the fifth predefined context data PC5 are mapped to the second setof policies PL2. Further, as illustrated by a third row of the secondLUT LT2, the third predefined domain ID PD3 and the sixth predefinedcontext data PC6 are mapped to the eighth set of policies PL8. The corecircuit may be configured to generate and store the mapping between theplurality of predefined domain IDs, the second predefined context dataset, and the second plurality of policies in the second storage element208 b during the boot operation of the IC 100.

The second processing circuit 210 b compares the second functionaldomain ID FN2 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality ofpredefined domain IDs and the second context tag data CT2 with eachpredefined context data of the second predefined context data set. Whenthe second functional domain ID FN2 and the second context tag data CT2matches one predefined domain ID and one predefined context data,respectively, the associated set of policies from the second pluralityof policies is selected (e.g., retrieved) from the second storageelement 208 b. Thus, the second set of policies PL2 is selected when thesecond functional domain ID FN2 matches the second predefined domain IDPD2 and the second context tag data CT2 matches the fifth predefinedcontext data PC5.

The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the second LUT LT2including the mapping between three predefined domain IDs, threepredefined context data, and three sets of policies. In various otherembodiments, a count of the predefined domain IDs, a count of thepredefined context data, and a count of the sets of policies may be lessthan or more than three, without deviating from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the third storage element 216in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The thirdstorage element 216 may be configured to store the mapping between theplurality of predefined domain IDs, the third predefined context dataset, and the third plurality of policies that is associated with therecovery circuit 206. The plurality of predefined domain IDs may includethe first through third predefined domain IDs PD1-PD3. The thirdpredefined context data set may include seventh through ninth predefinedcontext data PC7-PC9. Further, the third plurality of policies mayinclude the third and fourth sets of policies PL3 and PL4 and a ninthset of policies PL9.

The mapping between the plurality of predefined domain IDs, the thirdpredefined context data set, and the third plurality of policies may bestored in the third storage element 216 in the form of a third LUT LT3.As illustrated by a first row of the third LUT LT3, the first predefineddomain ID PD1 and the seventh predefined context data PC7 are mapped tothe third set of policies PL3. Similarly, as illustrated by a second rowof the third LUT LT3, the second predefined domain ID PD2 and the eighthpredefined context data PC8 are mapped to the fourth set of policiesPL4. Further, as illustrated by a third row of the third LUT LT3, thethird predefined domain ID PD3 and the ninth predefined context data PC9are mapped to the ninth set of policies PL9. The core circuit may beconfigured to generate and store the mapping between the plurality ofpredefined domain IDs, the third predefined context data set, and thethird plurality of policies in the third storage element 216. Themapping may be stored during the boot operation of the IC 100.

The recovery circuit 206 compares the first and second functional domainIDs FN1 and FN2 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality ofpredefined domain IDs and the third and fourth context tag data CT3 andCT4 with each predefined context data of the third predefined contextdata set. When the first functional domain ID FN1 and the third contexttag data CT3 matches one predefined domain ID and one predefined contextdata, respectively, the associated set of policies from the thirdplurality of policies is selected (e.g., retrieved) from the thirdstorage element 216. Thus, the third set of policies PL3 is selectedwhen the first functional domain ID FN1 matches the first predefineddomain ID PD1 and the third context tag data CT3 matches the seventhpredefined context data PC7. Similarly, the fourth set of policies PL4is selected when the second functional domain ID FN2 matches the secondpredefined domain ID PD2 and the fourth context tag data CT4 matches theeighth predefined context data PC8.

The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the third LUT LT3including the mapping between three predefined domain IDs, threepredefined context data, and three sets of policies. In various otherembodiments, a count of the predefined domain IDs, a count of thepredefined context data, and a count of the sets of policies may be lessthan or more than three, without deviating from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 6A-6D, collectively, represents a flowchart 600 that illustrates afault management method in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The fault management method corresponds to managing faults(such as the first and second faults FT1 and FT2) in the IC 100. Thefault management method may be implemented by the fault managementsystem 104. Referring now to FIG. 6A, at step 602, the first detectioncircuit 202 a may detect the first fault FT1 in the first functionalcircuit 102 a. The first detection circuit 202 a may detect the firstfault FT1 while the first functional operation is being performed by thefirst functional circuit 102 a. At step 604, the first detection circuit202 a may generate the first fault indication FI1 that is indicative ofthe detected first fault FT1.

At step 606, the first processing circuit 210 a may receive the firstfault indication FI1 from the first detection circuit 202 a. At step608, the first processing circuit 210 a may identify the firstfunctional domain ID FN1 associated with the first fault FT1 based onthe first fault indication FI1. The first functional domain ID FN1 maybe indicative of the first functional circuit 102 a in which the firstfault FT1 is detected and the first functional operation being performedby the first functional circuit 102 a when the first fault FT1 isdetected therein. At step 610, the first processing circuit 210 a mayincrement the first counter 212 a (e.g., the first count CO1). The firstprocessing circuit 210 a may increment the first counter 212 a based onthe first count control signal CS1. At step 612, the first processingcircuit 210 a may generate the first context tag data CT1 based on thefirst fault indication FI1 and provide the first context tag data CT1 tothe first diagnostic circuit 214 a. The first context tag data CT1 maybe indicative of the type of the first fault FT1 and the operationalstate of the first functional circuit 102 a when the first fault FT1 isdetected therein.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, at step 614, the first processing circuit 210a may compare the first functional domain ID FN1 with each predefineddomain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs and the firstcontext tag data CT1 with each predefined context data of the firstpredefined context data set. At step 616, the first processing circuit210 a may select, from the first plurality of policies, the first set ofpolicies PL1 associated with the first functional domain ID FN1 and thefirst context tag data CT1. At step 618, the first processing circuit210 a may receive the first count CO1 from the first counter 212 a.

At step 620, the first processing circuit 210 a may assign the firstpriority level to the first fault FT1. The first processing circuit 210a may assign the first priority level based on the first set of policiesPL1 and the first count CO1. At step 622, the first processing circuit210 a may generate the first reporting data RD1. The first reportingdata RD1 may include the first functional domain ID FN1, the firstcontext tag data CT1, and the first priority level.

Referring back to FIG. 6A, at step 624, the second detection circuit 202b may detect the second fault FT2 in the second functional circuit 102b. The second detection circuit 202 b detects the second fault FT2 whilethe second functional operation is being performed by the secondfunctional circuit 102 b. At step 626, the second detection circuit 202b may generate the second fault indication FI2 that is indicative of thedetected second fault FT2.

At step 628, the second processing circuit 210 b may receive the secondfault indication FI2 from the second detection circuit 202 b. At step630, the second processing circuit 210 b may identify the secondfunctional domain ID FN2 associated with the second fault FT2 based onthe second fault indication FI2. The second functional domain ID FN2 maybe indicative of the second functional circuit 102 b in which the secondfault FT2 is detected and the second functional operation beingperformed by the second functional circuit 102 b when the second faultFT2 is detected therein. At step 632, the second processing circuit 210b may increment the second counter 212 b (e.g., the second count CO2).The second processing circuit 210 b may increment the second counter 212b based on the second count control signal CS2. At step 634, the secondprocessing circuit 210 b may generate the second context tag data CT2based on the second fault indication FI2 and provide the second contexttag data CT2 to the second diagnostic circuit 214 b. The second contexttag data CT2 may be indicative of the type of the second fault FT2 andthe operational state of the second functional circuit 102 b when thesecond fault FT2 is detected therein.

Referring back to FIG. 6B, at step 636, the second processing circuit210 b may compare the second functional domain ID FN2 with eachpredefined domain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs and thesecond context tag data CT2 with each predefined context data of thesecond predefined context data set. At step 638, the second processingcircuit 210 b may select, from the second plurality of policies, thesecond set of policies PL2 associated with the second functional domainID FN2 and the second context tag data CT2. At step 640, the secondprocessing circuit 210 b may receive the second count CO2 from thesecond counter 212 b.

At step 642, the second processing circuit 210 b may assign the secondpriority level to the second fault FT2. The second processing circuit210 b may assign the second priority level based on the second set ofpolicies PL2 and the second count CO2. At step 644, the secondprocessing circuit 210 b may generate the second reporting data RD2. Thesecond reporting data RD2 may include the second functional domain IDFN2, the second context tag data CT2, and the second priority level. Asillustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, steps 602-622 and 624-644 are performedsimultaneously by the first and second processing circuits 210 a and 210b, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 6C, at step 646, the recovery circuit 206 mayreceive the first and second reporting data RD1 and RD2 from the firstand second processing circuits 210 a and 210 b, respectively. At step648, the recovery circuit 206 may generate the third context tag dataCT3 associated with the first fault FT1 and fourth context tag data CT4associated with the second fault FT2. The recovery circuit 206 maygenerate the third context tag data CT3 based on the first functionaldomain ID FN1 and the first context tag data CT1. Similarly, therecovery circuit 206 may generate the fourth context tag data CT4 basedon the second functional domain ID FN2 and the second context tag dataCT2.

At step 650, the recovery circuit 206 may compare the first functionaldomain ID FN1 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality ofpredefined domain IDs and the third context tag data CT3 with eachpredefined context data of the third predefined context data set. Atstep 652, the recovery circuit 206 may select, from the third pluralityof policies, the third set of policies PL3 associated with the firstfunctional domain ID FN1 and the third context tag data CT3. At step654, the recovery circuit 206 may assign, based on the third set ofpolicies PL3 and the first priority level, the third priority level tothe first fault FT1. At step 656, the recovery circuit 206 maydetermine, based on the third set of policies PL3, the first recoveryoperation associated with the first fault FT1.

At step 658, the recovery circuit 206 may compare the second functionaldomain ID FN2 with each predefined domain ID of the plurality ofpredefined domain IDs and the fourth context tag data CT4 with eachpredefined context data of the third predefined context data set. Atstep 660, the recovery circuit 206 may select, from the third pluralityof policies, the fourth set of policies PL4 associated with the secondfunctional domain ID FN2 and the fourth context tag data CT4. At step662, the recovery circuit 206 may assign, based on the fourth set ofpolicies PL4 and the second priority level, the fourth priority level tothe second fault FT2. At step 664, the recovery circuit 206 maydetermine, based on the fourth set of policies PL4, the second recoveryoperation for the second fault FT2.

Referring now to FIG. 6D, at step 666, the recovery circuit 206 maydetermine whether the third priority level is greater than the fourthpriority level. If at step 666, the recovery circuit 206 determines thatthe third priority level is greater than the fourth priority level, step668 is performed. At step 668, the recovery circuit 206 may perform thefirst recovery operation to recover the first functional circuit 102 afrom the first fault FT1. At step 670, the recovery circuit 206 maygenerate the first status data SD1 based on the first recovery operationthat is performed to recover the first functional circuit 102 a from thefirst fault FT1 and provide the first status data SD1 to the firstdiagnostic circuit 214 a. At step 672, the recovery circuit 206 mayperform the second recovery operation to recover the second functionalcircuit 102 b from the second fault FT2. At step 674, the recoverycircuit 206 may generate the second status data SD2 based on the secondrecovery operation that is performed to recover the second functionalcircuit 102 b from the second fault FT2 and provide the second statusdata SD2 to the second diagnostic circuit 214 b. Step 684 is performedafter step 674.

If at step 666, the recovery circuit 206 determines that the thirdpriority level is less than or equal to the fourth priority level, step676 is performed. At step 676, the recovery circuit 206 may perform thesecond recovery operation to recover the second functional circuit 102 bfrom the second fault FT2. At step 678, the recovery circuit 206 maygenerate the second status data SD2 based on the second recoveryoperation that is performed to recover the second functional circuit 102b from the second fault FT2 and provide the second status data SD2 tothe second diagnostic circuit 214 b. At step 680, the recovery circuit206 may perform the first recovery operation to recover the firstfunctional circuit 102 a from the first fault FT1. At step 682, therecovery circuit 206 may generate the first status data SD1 based on thefirst recovery operation that is performed to recover the firstfunctional circuit 102 a from the first fault FT1 and provide the firststatus data SD1 to the first diagnostic circuit 214 a.

At step 684, the first and second diagnostic circuits 214 a and 214 bmay facilitate the diagnosis of the first and second faults FT1 and FT2after the first and second functional circuits 102 a and 102 b arerecovered from the first and second faults FT1 and FT2, respectively.The first diagnostic circuit 214 a may facilitate the diagnosis of thefirst fault FT1 based on the first status data SD1 and the first contexttag data CT1. Similarly, the second diagnostic circuit 214 b mayfacilitate the diagnosis of the second fault FT2 based on the secondstatus data SD2 and the second context tag data CT2.

Although the flowchart 600 describes that the first and second faultsFT1 and FT2 are detected simultaneously, the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited to it. In an alternate embodiment, the firstand second faults FT1 and FT2 may be detected sequentially, withoutdeviating from the scope of the present disclosure. In such a scenario,while the second detection circuit 202 b and the second reportingcircuitry 204 b are detecting the second fault FT2 and generating thesecond reporting data RD2, respectively, the recovery circuit 206 maydetermine the first recovery operation.

The fault management system 104 of the present disclosure thus detects afault (e.g., the first fault FT1) in a functional circuit (e.g., thefirst functional circuit 102 a), determines a recovery operation (e.g.,the first recovery operation) for the fault, and performs the recoveryoperation to recover the functional circuit from the fault. As a result,an operational failure of the IC 100 is avoided.

To accurately determine the recovery operations to be performed, variousinformation associated with the faults (such as types of the faults,types of the functional circuits, or the like) is required.Conventionally, the fault management systems are required to accessdomains associated with the functional circuits to retrieve therequisite information from multiple registers. Such accesses performedfor each fault degrade the availability and increase the latency of theconventional fault management systems. Further, as the information isretrieved from faulty domains, the reliability of the conventional faultmanagement systems also degrades.

In the present disclosure, the recovery circuit 206 determines therecovery operation based on information associated with the fault (e.g.,the first functional domain ID FN1, the type of the first fault FT1, andthe operational state of the first functional circuit 102 a when thefirst fault FT1 is detected therein) that is received by the recoverycircuit 206. In other words, a need to retrieve the informationassociated with the fault from a faulty domain is eliminated. Hence, theavailability of the fault management system 104 is greater than that ofconventional fault management systems. Similarly, the latency of thefault management system 104 is less than that of the conventional faultmanagement systems. The elimination of the need to retrieve theinformation associated with the fault from a faulty domain furtherresults in the reliability of the fault management system 104 beinggreater than that of the conventional fault management systems.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have beenillustrated and described, it will be clear that the present disclosureis not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications,changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure, as described in the claims. Further, unlessstated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used toarbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus,these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or otherprioritization of such elements.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An integrated circuit (IC), comprising: afirst functional circuit; a first detection circuit that is coupled tothe first functional circuit, and configured to detect a first fault inthe first functional circuit and generate a first fault indication thatis indicative of the detected first fault; and a first processingcircuit that is coupled to the first detection circuit, and configuredto: receive the first fault indication from the first detection circuit;identify, based on the first fault indication, a first functional domainidentifier (ID) associated with the first fault, wherein the firstfunctional domain ID is indicative of the first functional circuit inwhich the first fault is detected; generate, based on the first faultindication, first context tag data associated with the first fault,wherein the first context tag data is indicative of a type of the firstfault and an operational state of the first functional circuit when thefirst fault is detected in the first functional circuit; and assign afirst priority level to the first fault based on the first functionaldomain ID and the first context tag data, wherein the first functionalcircuit is recovered from the first fault based on the first functionaldomain ID, the first context tag data, and the first priority level. 2.The IC of claim 1, further comprising a first storage element configuredto store a mapping between a plurality of predefined domain IDs, a firstpredefined context data set, and a first plurality of policies that isassociated with the first processing circuit, wherein the firstplurality of policies enables determination of a degree of severity ofthe first fault at the first processing circuit.
 3. The IC of claim 2,wherein the first processing circuit is further coupled to the firststorage element, and configured to: compare the first functional domainID with each predefined domain ID of the plurality of predefined domainIDs and the first context tag data with each predefined context data ofthe first predefined context data set; and select, from the firstplurality of policies, a first set of policies that is associated withthe first functional domain ID and the first context tag data, whereinthe first processing circuit selects the first set of policies based onthe comparison of the first functional domain ID with each predefineddomain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs and the comparisonof the first context tag data with each predefined context data of thefirst predefined context data set, wherein the first set of policies isindicative of the degree of severity of the first fault as determined atthe first processing circuit, and wherein the first processing circuitassigns the first priority level to the first fault based on the firstset of policies.
 4. The IC of claim 1, wherein the first functionalcircuit is configured to perform a first functional operation, whereinthe first fault is detected in the first functional circuit while thefirst functional operation is being performed by the first functionalcircuit, and wherein the first functional domain ID is furtherindicative of the first functional operation being performed by thefirst functional circuit when the first fault is detected in the firstfunctional circuit.
 5. The IC of claim 4, further comprising a set ofconnection lines that couples the first detection circuit and the firstprocessing circuit, wherein based on the detected first fault, the firstfunctional circuit in which the first fault is detected, and the firstfunctional operation being performed by the first functional circuitwhen the first fault is detected therein, the first detection circuit isfurther configured to select a connection line from the set ofconnection lines and provide the first fault indication to the firstprocessing circuit by way of the selected connection line, and wherein aconnection line ID of the selected connection line represents the firstfunctional domain ID associated with the first fault.
 6. The IC of claim1, wherein to generate the first context tag data, the first processingcircuit is further configured to monitor the first functional circuit,and record, when the first fault indication is received, the type of thefirst fault and the operational state of the first functional circuit.7. The IC of claim 1, further comprising a counter that is coupled tothe first processing circuit, and configured to generate a count that isincremented when the first fault indication is received by the firstprocessing circuit, wherein the first processing circuit further assignsthe first priority level to the first fault based on the count, andwherein when the count has a first value, the first priority levelassigned to the first fault is greater than that assigned when the counthas a second value that is less than the first value.
 8. The IC of claim1, further comprising: a second functional circuit, wherein a secondfault is detected in the second functional circuit; and a recoverycircuit that is coupled to the first processing circuit, and configuredto: receive the first functional domain ID, the first context tag data,and the first priority level from the first processing circuit; receivea second functional domain ID, second context tag data, and a secondpriority level associated with the second fault, wherein the secondfunctional domain ID is indicative of the second functional circuit inwhich the second fault is detected, wherein the second context tag datais indicative of a type of the second fault and an operational state ofthe second functional circuit when the second fault is detected in thesecond functional circuit, and wherein the second priority level isassigned to the second fault based on the second functional domain IDand the second context tag data; and generate third context tag data andfourth context tag data associated with the first fault and the secondfault to facilitate recovery of the first functional circuit and thesecond functional circuit from the first fault and the second fault,respectively, wherein the third context tag data is generated based onthe first functional domain ID and the first context tag data, and thefourth context tag data is generated based on the second functionaldomain ID and the second context tag data, wherein the third context tagdata is indicative of the type of the first fault, the operational stateof the first functional circuit when the first fault is detected in thefirst functional circuit, and a type of the first functional circuit,and wherein the fourth context tag data is indicative of the type of thesecond fault, the operational state of the second functional circuitwhen the second fault is detected in the second functional circuit, anda type of the second functional circuit.
 9. The IC of claim 8, furthercomprising: a second detection circuit that is coupled to the secondfunctional circuit, and configured to detect the second fault in thesecond functional circuit and generate a second fault indication that isindicative of the detected second fault; and a second processing circuitthat is coupled to the second detection circuit and the recoverycircuit, and configured to: receive the second fault indication from thesecond detection circuit; identify, based on the second faultindication, the second functional domain ID associated with the secondfault; generate, based on the second fault indication, the secondcontext tag data associated with the second fault; and assign the secondpriority level to the second fault based on the second functional domainID and the third context tag data.
 10. The IC of claim 8, wherein therecovery circuit is further configured to: assign a third priority levelto the first fault and a fourth priority level to the second fault,wherein the third priority level is assigned based on the third contexttag data, the first functional domain ID, and the first priority level,and wherein the fourth priority level is assigned based on the fourthcontext tag data, the second functional domain ID, and the secondpriority level; determine a first recovery operation for the first faultand a second recovery operation for the second fault, wherein the firstrecovery operation is determined based on the third context tag data andthe first functional domain ID, and wherein the second recoveryoperation is determined based on the fourth context tag data and thesecond functional domain ID; and perform, based on the third prioritylevel and the fourth priority level, the first recovery operation andthe second recovery operation to recover the first functional circuitand the second functional circuit from the first fault and the secondfault, respectively.
 11. The IC of claim 10, wherein the third prioritylevel is one of a group consisting of (i) same as the first prioritylevel and (ii) different from the first priority level, and wherein thefourth priority level is one of a group consisting of (i) same as thesecond priority level and (ii) different from the second priority level.12. The IC of claim 10, wherein when the third priority level is greaterthan the fourth priority level, the first recovery operation isperformed before the second recovery operation, and wherein when thethird priority level is less than the fourth priority level, the secondrecovery operation is performed before the first recovery operation. 13.The IC of claim 10, further comprising a second storage elementconfigured to store a mapping between a plurality of predefined domainIDs, a second predefined context data set, and a second plurality ofpolicies that is associated with the recovery circuit, wherein thesecond plurality of policies enables determination of the first recoveryoperation for the first fault, the second recovery operation for thesecond fault, a degree of severity of the first fault, and a degree ofseverity of the second fault at the recovery circuit.
 14. The IC ofclaim 13, wherein the recovery circuit is coupled to the second storageelement, and configured to: compare the first functional domain ID witheach predefined domain ID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs andthe third context tag data with each predefined context data of thesecond predefined context data set; and select, from the secondplurality of policies, a second set of policies that is associated withthe first functional domain ID and the third context tag data, whereinthe recovery circuit selects the second set of policies based on thecomparison of the first functional domain ID with each predefined domainID of the plurality of predefined domain IDs and the comparison of thethird context tag data with each predefined context data of the secondpredefined context data set, wherein the second set of policies isindicative of the first recovery operation for the first fault and thedegree of severity of the first fault as determined at the recoverycircuit, and wherein the recovery circuit assigns the third prioritylevel to the first fault based on the second set of policies and thefirst priority level.
 15. The IC of claim 13, wherein the recoverycircuit is coupled to the second storage element, and configured to:compare the second functional domain ID with each predefined domain IDof the plurality of predefined domain IDs and the fourth context tagdata with each predefined context data of the second predefined contextdata set; and select, from the second plurality of policies, a third setof policies that is associated with the second functional domain ID andthe fourth context tag data, wherein the recovery circuit selects thethird set of policies based on the comparison of the second functionaldomain ID with each predefined domain ID of the plurality of predefineddomain IDs and the comparison of the fourth context tag data with eachpredefined context data of the second predefined context data set,wherein the third set of policies is indicative of the second recoveryoperation for the second fault and the degree of severity of the secondfault as determined at the recovery circuit, and wherein the recoverycircuit assigns the fourth priority level to the second fault based onthe third set of policies and the second priority level.
 16. The IC ofclaim 10, further comprising a diagnostic circuit that is coupled to thefirst processing circuit and the recovery circuit, and configured toreceive the first context tag data and first status data, and facilitatediagnosis of the first fault after the first functional circuit isrecovered from the first fault, wherein the recovery circuit is furtherconfigured to generate the first status data based on the first recoveryoperation that is performed to recover the first functional circuit fromthe first fault.
 17. The IC of claim 10, further comprising a diagnosticcircuit that is coupled to the recovery circuit, and configured toreceive the second context tag data and second status data, andfacilitate diagnosis of the second fault after the second functionalcircuit is recovered from the second fault, wherein the recovery circuitis further configured to generate the second status data based on thesecond recovery operation that is performed to recover the secondfunctional circuit from the second fault.
 18. A fault management method,comprising: detecting, by a first detection circuit, a first fault in afirst functional circuit; generating, by the first detection circuit, afirst fault indication that is indicative of the detected first fault;receiving, by a first processing circuit, the first fault indicationfrom the first detection circuit; identifying, by the first processingcircuit based on the first fault indication, a first functional domainidentifier (ID) associated with the first fault, wherein the firstfunctional domain ID is indicative of the first functional circuit inwhich the first fault is detected; generating, by the first processingcircuit, based on the first fault indication, first context tag dataassociated with the first fault, wherein the first context tag data isindicative of a type of the first fault and an operational state of thefirst functional circuit when the first fault is detected in the firstfunctional circuit; and assigning, by the first processing circuit, afirst priority level to the first fault based on the first context tagdata and the first functional domain ID, wherein the first functionalcircuit is recovered from the first fault based on the first functionaldomain ID, the first context tag data, and the first priority level. 19.The fault management method of claim 18, further comprising: receiving,by a recovery circuit, the first functional domain ID, the first contexttag data, and the first priority level from the first processingcircuit; receiving, by the recovery circuit, a second functional domainID, second context tag data, and a second priority level associated witha second fault, wherein the second functional domain ID is indicative ofa second functional circuit in which the second fault is detected, andthe second context tag data is indicative of a type of the second faultand an operational state of the second functional circuit when thesecond fault is detected in the second functional circuit, and whereinthe second priority level is assigned to the second fault based on thesecond functional domain ID and the second context tag data; andgenerating, by the recovery circuit, third context tag data and fourthcontext tag data associated with the first fault and the second fault tofacilitate recovery of the first functional circuit and the secondfunctional circuit from the first fault and the second fault,respectively, wherein the third context tag data is generated based onthe first functional domain ID and the first context tag data, and thefourth context tag data is generated based on the second functionaldomain ID and the second context tag data, wherein the third context tagdata is indicative of the type of the first fault, the operational stateof the first functional circuit when the first fault is detected in thefirst functional circuit, and a type of the first functional circuit,and wherein the fourth context tag data is indicative of the type of thesecond fault, the operational state of the second functional circuitwhen the second fault is detected in the second functional circuit, anda type of the second functional circuit.
 20. The fault management methodof claim 19, further comprising: assigning, by the recovery circuit, athird priority level to the first fault and a fourth priority level tothe second fault, wherein the third priority level is assigned based onthe third context tag data, the first functional domain ID, and thefirst priority level, and wherein the fourth priority level is assignedbased on the fourth context tag data, the second functional domain ID,and the second priority level; determining, by the recovery circuit, afirst recovery operation for the first fault and a second recoveryoperation for the second fault, wherein the first recovery operation isdetermined based on the third context tag data and the first functionaldomain ID, and wherein the second recovery operation is determined basedon the fourth context tag data and the second functional domain ID; andperforming, by the recovery circuit, based on the third priority leveland the fourth priority level, the first recovery operation and thesecond recovery operation to recover the first functional circuit andthe second functional circuit from the first fault and the second fault,respectively.